I just wanted to say...my garden sucks this year! No rain and too hot too quick!

I'm about to tear it out....what is something good to plant for fall/winter in a small raised bed? When should I plant it?

If you want fall tomatoes, it's time to plant them.

I have managed to propagate , not sure I spelled that right..several yellow pear cherry tomato, a black krim , which by the way is a beautiful one , with a very good flavor, I have one frape cherry and two rutgers, in pots , ready to go out once this het backs off a little. I have managed to keep everything going , and I am getting some okra, lots of banana peppers, anaheims and mexi bells. I am hoping that my fall garden will have more time to produce. like someone posted earlier , it just got too hot too fast,,,hope everybody else gets to hang on to some stuff through this heat...it is awful

Give it up till about mid September, then put broccoli, cauliflower, and other bedding plants in there. You can plant root crops from seed. Try carrots, and turnips.

Would most of you agree with this? I am not trying to question you Skeet but just wonder if thats a group consenus as far as planting the tomatoes now for fall... I am very new to gardening having come from the desert of Nevada. Fall tomatoes would be awesome, I planted some in ealry May (too late) and all they have done is get tall, stringy and are making a few very small oragneish colored balls that were not what I had in mind... May to scrap those and start again for fall. If now is the time?

keep what you have alive and green and when fall rolls around they'll already be well established. I'm about to clone a few of the Toms I already have to more plants for the fall.

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Plant of the Week
July 14, 2007

Plant Fall Tomatoes NOW

Plant-of-the-Week


by
David Rodriguez

Now that the three year drought is somewhat over and we finally can see the sun again, especially after all that record breaking rain, it's time to start thinking about the fall vegetable garden. The best fall performer that is planted earliest is tomatoes and now would be the time.

There may be some small spring tomatoes hanging on to the plant, but, unless you have at least 20 to 25 good-sized fruit, pull them out-make green tomato relish, chow-chow or salsa. If you will recall, the largest and best tomatoes you had this spring were the first ones produced. If the tomato plant has gotten old, diseased, and damaged by insects-it will never produce in abundance again. Besides, it's too large to be manageable as far as insect and disease populations are concerned. Pull the old plants up and discard them. Give them to the garbage man. Don't try to compost insect and disease-ridden plants. Spider mites don't compost well!

If you have the space, it's best to move the tomato plant around the garden. There is some disease prevention value in crop rotation. It is, however, more important that the plants receive full sun (at least six-to-eight hours) than a new location. Incorporate two inches of manure compost into the planting area and spread one pound of slow release 19-5-9 analysis fertilizer over every 10 linear feet of planting area.

Plant a Texas Cooperative Extension recommended variety of tomato every three-to-four feet. Tomato cages keep the plants in control and keep the fruit off the ground. Fruit rot and even insect damage is reduced if the tomatoes are caged. Most retail nurseries offer aluminum cages (use the largest 54" size) or, if you are really ambitious, you can make cages out of concrete Remix reinforcing wire. A cage two and one-half feet in diameter would require a piece of reinforcing wire eight feet long.

Mulch the newly planted tomatoes to a depth of two inches. Native cedar or hardwood mulch is highly desirable and available because they spread easily and decompose at a moderate rate. The decomposing is slow enough to protect the tomato roots but fast enough that they can be incorporated into the garden soil after the tomato season without long nutrient tie-up.

Tomatoes are not drought tolerant plants; they need an ample supply of supplemental irrigation. Using mulch and drip irrigation is the most efficient way to do it. Water when the soil under the mulch dries to one-half inch. Tomatoes are also heavy feeders. A half cup of slow release
19-5-9 analysis fertilizer every 10 to 14 days per plant works well for around three applications. This is also called side-dressing or banning of fertilizer.

The best fall tomato for Central/South Texas is Surefire. It tolerates the heat well to produce an early tennis ball-size fruit. But, unfortunately it's almost impossible to find. Consider other heat setting tomatoes like the 2007 Texas SuperStar tomato 'Sunpride' and other proven winners like 'Celebrity,' 'Sun Master,' '444,' 'Amelia,' 'Solarfire,' and 'Top Gun' also do well. Remember, all fall recommended tomatoes are also planted for spring planting. For a complete list of other fall recommended vegetables and planting dates, please visit this link at: http://bexartx.tamu.edu/HomeHort/F4Best/nFallVegPlantList.htm.





Remember, Learn and Have Fun!

David Rodriguez is County Extension Agent-Horticulture, Bexar County. For more information, call the Master Gardener 'Hotline' at (210) 467-6575 or visit our County Extension website at http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu, click under Horticulture and Gardening.

Are you guys that are planting for fall tomatoes now buying more starter plants? or how are you getting started?


I have 2 beautiful tomato plants - they're a little rolled up on the leaves - but they are huge. They've have bloomed all season long and continue to but they will not produce any tomatoes.
My other cherry tomatoe and romas are producing, still. Those 2 big plants are frustrating the carp out of me. I almost pulled them yesterday just so I didn't have to look at them anymore.

I bought my plants at a local nursery. However, they sold out and will not get more due to the fact that it takes approx. 70 days till harvest and that will be in September. That only leaves a couple of months to enjoy them until they are killed by a freeze.

Leave them alone. It's too hot for tomatoes to set right now. They'll start producing in September just in time for a good harvest before the freeze.

Can anybody recommend a shade tree that grows fairly fast in full sun that stays about 10-15 ft tall when mature? Need something to shade the west side of the house from the brutal sun beating on my circuit breaker box. Not a fan of "lattice with a vine" that has been suggested by the wife. I hate vines. An internet search came up with an Empress tree. Sounds good and grows fast, but never heard of it. Also grows straight. Looking for something like a mini live oak although leaves all year isn't a requirement.

Crepe Myrtle...Get the ones that are already 3' to 5' tall. Plant it and water it one hour a week every week. Some grow to 12', 15' and 20'. Drought resistant and hard to over water.

Wow. Didn't even think about crepe myrtle and I've got em all over the place. Some of the dwarf or mid-sized plum trees might do well. Do your research on any really fast growers . Some of them are pretty short-lived and others' roots can be a problem for water or drain lines , even house foundations.

Well , yesterday I recieved my order of CHerokee Purple, cherry tomato, and the Standard's as well. I also got some Heirloom mix with the Dark Green , orange pineapple , and a few others mixed in. I am starting them under a growlight so they can be put out for fall with the ten or so I have prop-gated off the others , I also got a Strawberry Spinach..will be interesting to try...how is everyone else doing? Anyone with good news , despite the abcense of Rain?

I saw that it was time to plant fall tomatoes back in July but A)I couldn't find any that were less than 4 bucks and B) I didn't think it would be a good idea to plant in this heat.

So, I'm conducting a little experiment. I cut half of my tomato plants back to about 1.5 - 2 feet tall. Mostly red cherry, sweet 100 and early girls. In the few weeks since, they've gone mad. I've never seen as many blooms on these plants as I'm seeing right now.

I know that they most likely will not set so I'm going to cut back the other half of the tomatoes soon and hope they bloom when it's not so hot.

I also did this with a pepper plant and it seems to be doing pretty well. I started seeing new flowers this week.

Anyone ever done this? Any luck?

I wondered if I should trim mine too, they are getting tall , and blooming , but as you said won't set til this heat backs off. I have rooted mine indoors so far when taking from another plant, and started seeds week before last in little greenhouse, will have to add new seeds, last year I got Tomatoe's well into fall , so I am hoping this year works out too...

Well I just had to come tell everyone I have five tomatoes on apatio plant....there is hope....

That's awesome! I have some tomato plants trying to survive, but this heat is very hard on them.

The Walmart here on I-35 had this very same Patio out for sale the last two days...if you can get one and put it in a pot on a porch , I bet you will get a bunch like I am , I bought two more last night....hoping they put out as well as the first one...very study plants too...about 3 buks.

Well, in the last two days I have gotten twenty five peppers in three varieties, and I set out fifteen Cherokee Purples to harden and about a dozen Heirloom Dark green and Pineapple tomatoes,......anyone else going to try for a fall crop?

I planted tomatoes, cabbage, collards, pole beans, bush beans and squash 2 weeks ago. Everything is doing great.

I have a boat load of pepper plants and a few tomato plants that survived the summer. They aren't producing, but most are 3' to 5' tall and they are now budding out again.